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Galaga ‘88

Type ： Arcade Game
Hardware ： Namco Circuit Board
Release ： 1987

A sequel to the series of space shooters, such as Galaga and Gaplus. The game’s epic story is based on Commander Yeager of the United Galaxy Space Force who jumps through dimensions to face the recurring threat of the Galaga forces so as to protect and bring peace back to space. The story, game stages and enemy forces have evolved, making the game a true successor to the series.

How to Play (Controls)

Using the 2-way joystick, the player moves the Blast Fighter horizontally while firing its cannon using the fire button.
The player first chooses whether the Blast Fighter begins in Fighter mode or Dual Fighter mode. If Dual Fighter is selected, the player can begin the game in Dual Fighter mode where 2 Blast Fighters are combined.

Game System

Similar to Galaga, the player can combine the captured Blast Fighter to power-up the controlled Blast Fighter, but in this game, the player can save a captured Dual Fighter to enter Triple Fighter mode (this can also be achieved by getting a Triple Fighter Capsule). The Galaga forces feature cameo enemies, such as the Bosses, Guards, and Grunts, and also introduces new and unique Galaga enemies, such as the Mid-Sized and Large-Sized Galaga.
The game features up to Stage 29, which are broken into the areas noted below. Each interim between the areas feature a Challenging Stage (THAT’S GALACTIC DANCIN’) as well.

STAGE 1 to 2: Space Station
STAGE 4 to 6: Planet of Ice
STAGE 8 to 13: Planet Surface, Asteroid Belt
STAGE 15 to 17: Space Graveyard
STAGE 19 to 21: Mars
STAGE 23 to 25: Planet Galaga
STAGE 27 to 29: Planet Galaga Surface

Collecting 2 Dimension Warp Capsule during the game lets the player leap to a different dimension. These dimensions starts from 1 and goes up to 5.
There are 4 different endings available which is determined depending on the dimension the player is in when they clear Stage 29.
The game ends when the player loses all Blast Fighters, but they can be increased by reaching preset scores within the game.

Fun Facts

- There were many shooters in game arcades, but among them, the game’s 2-way joystick was a rarity in a time where even Gaplus, which appeared in 1984, could move in 8 directions. This was a returning to roots to another long hit seller title, Galaga. The game also showed respect to Galaga by introducing new characters and ideas into the game, such as how the Galaga forces displayed a mesmerizing dance tuned to the music in the Challenging Stage (THAT’S GALACTIC DANCIN’), or how the game featured 4 different endings, each featuring varying images and messages.